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RSA REVIEW • SPRING 2013
Lost Trails The municipality of Torviscosa (Udine, north-east Italy) seeks documents about the history of the prisoner-of-war Camp 107 there between 1942 and 1943. Torviscosa is about 60km from Trieste and 100km from Venice. Soldiers captured in Libya were interned there. During a visit in August 1943, Red Cross representatives counted 892 New Zealanders, 355 South Africans, 130 Indians and three Australians. The idea of collecting documents about the camp arose last year when Ross Montgomery (the son of one of the New Zealand soldiers) and his wife, Vonda, visited the camp. The intention is to collect documents in a digital archive to be published on line and be freely accessible. There is particular interest in memoirs,diaries, letters, photographs, video recordings and oral testimonies of former prisoners and Italian military guards. Send documents in copy or digital format. Contact: Mareno Settimo – Councillor for culture, Municipality of Torviscosa, Piazza del Popolo, 1 – 330050 (UD), Italy; 39 0431 929916; cultura@com-torviscosa.regione.fvg.it.
20th intake, 1978? Ira Ngaia was in these platoons and would appreciate any assistance in obtaining photographs of them. Contact: Ira Ngaia – blakeb@ npdc.govt.nz. A trunk belonging to Sqn Ldr George Allan 59703 has been found while cleaning out under a house. The trunk had his name on it and his address when he returned to New Zealand: 30 Mangere Rd, Otahuhu, Auckland. The trunk contained a small booklet, Royal Air Force War Manual – Operations (pictured below) which must have been given to all pilots. It is in remarkably good condition, and there are handwritten notes through it, suggesting a briefing before an engagement. The finder has dried each page and says it makes fascinating reading...”you can almost imagine yourself being there”. Information sought on whereabouts of Sqn Ldr Allan and/or his family. Contact: John Danvers – 021 352 650; jcdanvers@gmail.com.
If you know anything, have information about, or photographs of LAC James Alfred Rogers 433868, RNZAF, please contact his only daughter, Angela Bennett. He was in Canada, at Fort St John, on the Alaska Highway in British Columbia, in July 1944, and on the Alcan Highway, on Vancouver Island. He travelled from Vancouver to Edmonton, Alberta in 1943. Contact: Angela Barnett – barnettnz@gmail.com.
FSgt Albert John Carpenter 413023 and FSgt Kenneth Burchard 415287 are buried in the war cemetery at Chittagong, in Bangladesh. Simon Clarke, who works in Chittagong, has photographed their graves (pictured above) and their details in the record book at the cemetery. He’s interested if anyone knows of them, and is happy to take more photos, lay flowers or anything else on behalf of relatives. FSgt Carpenter, a RNZAF pilot with 136 (RAF) Sqn, died on April 4, 1943, aged 27. He was the son of Albert and Margaret Carpenter, and husband of Olive Burroughs Carpenter, of Glendowie, Auckland. FSgt Burchard, a RNZAF pilot with 79 (RAF) Sqn, died on May 21, 1943, aged 20. He was the son of John A. and Annie Elizabeth Burchard, of Hastings. Contact: Simon Clarke – s.r.clarke100@gmail.com. Does anyone recognise the young man (seated) in the photo below, or know anyone who might know?. He is with Frederic Birch (standing) and the photo was taken in France in 1918. Fredric Birch sent it his mother in England, quite probably while he was on leave in France. He described the seated man as friend. Frederic Birch was in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force 16th Reinforcements, New Zealand Machine Gun Corps, 4th Company. Contact: Margaret Nicholls (Frederic’s daughter) – maggie.f.nicholls@gmail.com.
Do you know where Ronald Gordon Boyd was laid to rest in Germany? His nephew, Stuart Howe, is visiting Germany and would like to try and find his grave. FSgt Boyd 413221 was a navigator on the Shorts Stirling Mk3 BF 521 with 622 Sqn seconded to the RAF. He failed to return from night bombing over Berlin on August 23-24. It was most likely he was shot down by a night fighter over the Doberitz area close to Berlin, as with one of his aircrew members was found by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in 1949 at a local cemetery, along with 11 unnamed airmen’s graves. According to German records, Sgt F.C.Stevens was identified at the time of the crash. Contact: Stuart Howe – stu_airborne@ yahoo.com.au. If you were part of the National Service 12th intake in January, Paul Bradley would like to hear from you. If there’s enough interest, the thought is to have an afternoon reunion at Burnham Military Camp with refreshments at a modest cost. If demand dictate, he sees potential for an annual get-together. Contact: Paul Bradley – 03 3029332; ppm_swing@xtra.co.nz. Can you put ValerieSmith in in touch with 2 Lt D.E.Pearson, or anyone who knows or knew him. She has a memento she would like to return to him or his family. He served with New Zealand forces, 6 LAA Regiment, 1951-56. Contact: Valerie Smith - val.smith@paradise.net.nz. War medals and memorabilia for return to families of: John Dods 2/1769, Opotiki, died in France 1916; Alfred Millard 10/570, Dannevirke, wounded at Gallipoli; Angus McLean (known as Galbraith) 73359, possibly from Wellington, buried Karori 1936. They were among a collection of family war medals and memorabilia inherited by the Listers. Contact: Ian Lister – ilister@xtra.co.nz. Colin Stanley (ex-Royal Navy) – Peter David Charles Bowyer is trying to track down this Royal Navy friend. They lost touch in 2003 when Colin was living in Glendowie or Ellerslie, Auckland. Colin married Lesley Stanley; they had five daughters (Sarah, Tracey, Chelse, Bonnie and Victoria). After moving to New Zealand, Colin worked for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF). Peter, now 75, lives in England. Contact: Sara Watson – Sara.Watson@courierpost.co.nz. Photographs of the 4th platoon and 2nd platoon,
now aged 83, began his military career at Fort George, Scotland in 1948. He graduiated from Sandhurst and was in the 1st Battalion, King’s Own Scottish Borderer. He was aarded the Military Cross in 1953 and retired from military service in 1988. Contact: John Foulls – 1 Ashbourne Place, York, North Yorkshire YO242UJ, England, or his sister-in-law, Bev Thornton – 52b Osborne Rd, R.D.1, Hamilton. Contact sought with crew or family members of crew who served on sister minesweepers HMNZS Gale and HMNZS Breeze (both requisitioned from the Canterbury Steam Ship Ship Company) during World War 2. Russell Turney, son of the late Thomas Hardy Turney, W3468, who was a RNVR leading seaman aboard Gale, is researching his late father’s service, Gale and Breeze with a view to publishing a book. He is looking for people who might be able to add stories or photos. Gale joined the 25th Minesweeping Flotilla in April 1941, rescued survivors from the Puriri sinking in May, and swept suspected minefield areas near Cuvier Island and Farewell Spit before relieving Viti in Fiji in December. She returned to New Zealand for a refit in February 1942, was deployed to Noumea in June, and returned to New Zealand in August as a port minesweeper in Wellington. She rejoined the 25th Minesweeping Flotilla in the Solomons in February 1943. When Breeze arrived in April, the two sister ships and Matai were formed into the 9th Auxiliary Minesweeping group, carrying out night-patrol and escort duties. Before being fiotted with radar, Breeze collided with an American ship (USS LTS-895) off Guadacanal while patrolling in a monsoon rainstorm. While escorting a convoy in Longbottom Sound, she survived an attack by dive-bombers undamaged. Gale and Breeze were released back to their owner in September 1944. Contact: Russell Turney – P.O.Box 9153, Marion Square, Wellington; 04 3872201; 022 6257677; russell@russellturney.com.
Does anyone have any photos of Ivan (Mac) McShane 80548, who served in 20th Armoured Regiment, in Italy? He fought at Cassino and in other battles through Italy alongside the likes of “Stuffy” Hazlette and Bill De Latour, both officers in the 20th. His son, Pat McShane is gathering photos and information for family-history purposes. Contact: Pat McShane – Patandjanine@ xtra.co.nz. Manual to return to Sub Lt G.R. Curtis or his family. This Manual of Seamanship Volume 1, 1937 edition used to belong to Sub Lt G.R. Curtis RNZNVR, HMS Philomel in 1942. It is thought he went on to be skipper of HDML 1185 of the 124th ML Flotilla at Auckland on July 27, 1943. This ship was renamed HMNZS Manga in 1960. Contact: David McLuckie – david.mcluckie1@gmail.com. Can anyone help Daryll Styles, who is looking for a copy of battalion or company photograph for the New Zealand 3rd division, 37th battalion, C company. His grandfather, Manfred Munroe Mcfadyen, served in the battery during World War 2. Contact: Daryl Styles – darylstyles@ hotmail.com; 09 2968931. Information sought on Dennis Bradley, who resided near the Basin Reserve, in Wellington, in 1965-66. He is believed to have came from Shropshire, in England ,and was on a cruise ship from Australia that sailed into Wellington around January 1965. Contact: Neil Fawcus – neilfawcus@bigpond.com. Maj John Foulls (pronounced ‘Fowles’) who was known as Jock) is keen to hear from any of his New Zealand and Australian comrades from the Korean War, or receive information (such as newspaper clippings) about Korean War reunions. He was a British officer in the Commonwealth Division, which formed part of the 28th Commonwealth Brigade; the brigade included a battalion of the New Zealand Australian artilllery regiment, along with two British infantry battalions. Jock Foulls,
Contact or information sought from relatives or friends of PltOff Keith Lewis (above), a New Zealander killed in action in France on October 28, 1944. Les Bartlett has four original photographs of him, which he want to send to his next of kin. One photograph includes Keith’s friend, known as Pancho. At the time of his death, he was in 182 Sqn, flying Typhoons on armed reconnaissance missions from airfields in France. Les’s enquiries have found that Keith Lewis’s parents were William and Roberta (nee Palmer) Lewis, of New Plymouth and that he had three brothers and one sister. Contact: Les Bartlett – karenandles@hotmail. com.
Contact sought with next of kin of New Zealand airmen stationed in Sierra Leone or the Gambia during World War 2. Especially next of kin of: L.Trigg 413515, I.Marinovich 413103, T.J.Soper 412908, L.J.Frost 414872, A.G.Bennett 412861. Contact: Mary-Jean Paterson (her father was stationed there with 200Sqd in 1943) – 07 8767447; mjmpaterson@ farmside.co.nz.